FSP Twinkle 65 Universal Notebook Adapter Review

FSP Twinkle 65 Universal Notebook Adapter Introduction:

The extent on how portable a system is depends greatly on the battery installed within; good battery life means longer usage sessions in-between charges, while mediocre battery life will see you tethered to a wall pretty much non-stop. Every portable computer comes with a charger to top-off the battery when needed; a charger that's usually a proprietary design which will only work with the specific device it was bundled with. In case of charger failure, damage, or loss, the only option is to get a replacement from the manufacturer that usually costs quite a chunk of cash. Some manufacturers realized the potential market that needs to be filled and started producing universal chargers that will work with a range of different laptops or notebooks.

Today I will be looking at the FSP Twinkle 65 Universal Notebook Adapter, a 65W rated charger weighing only 100g and measuring a very compact 2.7'' width x 1.85'' depth x 0.9'' height. This wall-mounted unit is advertised as compatible with 99.9% of notebooks that require a 19V input. It also comes with eight different charging tips and two exchangeable power plug adapters for US and European style sockets. This charger is made by FSP Group (Fortron Source Power), a Taiwanese company that is the fifth largest power supply vendor in the world. Some of the major names in the computer industry (Antec, SilverStone, Thermaltake, and Zalman) actually sell FSP products under their own names, especially power supplies.

FSP Twinkle 65 Universal Notebook Adapter Closer Look:

FSP opted for a classic approach with the packaging of the Twinkle 65 Universal Notebook Adapter. The unit comes in a sturdy cardboard box with a window cut-out so a potential buyer can have a peek at the goods. The front of the box shows the name of the company on the top left, with a three years limited warranty disclaimer on the top right. With a quick glance at the box, I knew that the Twinkle 65 is a 100g, 65W universal notebook adapter that is 99.9% compatible with notebooks that require 19V input. The exchangeable plug is claimed to work in 157 different countries (basically US or Europe power sockets are compatible). The eight different exchangeable charging tips are displayed on the bottom left corner with a list of compatible laptop and notebook brands.

The back of the box shows the specifications and features of the FSP Twinkle 65 Universal Notebook Adapter, and a disclaimer to visit the website for more detailed product information listed in nothing less than 25 different languages. A transparent sticker adds another disclaimer to the box: it seems that certain portable computers with proprietary design are partially compatible with the Twinkle 65, in this case the battery will not be charged even if the charger is capable of powering up the system. At the bottom, a compatibility table lists the eight color-coded charging tips included with the unit and the corresponding brands that they are supposed to work with. No mention of AVATAR in here, so I'm not really holding my breath about the universality of the FSP Twinkle 65 Universal Notebook Adapter as far as my AVIU-145A2 notebook is concerned.

The right side of the box contains three different barcodes with the product number and a serial number. The left side emphasizes some of the features of the FSP Twinkle 65 Universal Notebook Adapter: eight tips for maximum compatibility, wall-mount design, 91% efficiency rating, and a scratch-proof travel pouch!

Inside the box is a two-piece protective plastic shell that contains the unit and the accessories bundle. The FSP Twinkle 65 Universal Notebook Adapter comes with the advertised eight color-coded tips (neatly organized in a plastic holder), two exchangeable wall plugs, a quick reference manual, and the black scratch-proof travel pouch.

The FSP Twinkle 65 Universal Notebook Adapter is a tiny unit that measures 2.75'' width x 1.85'' depth x 0.9'' height. Such a compact size comes with a matching weight of 0.22 lb, which makes this charger a great accessory to have in one's laptop bag. The cable attached to the FSP Twinkle 65 Universal Notebook Adapter is eight feet long, which allows for a good amount of flexibility when positioning the system being charged.

The FSP Twinkle 65 Universal Notebook Adapter is a wall mounted charger that comes bundled with two exchangeable plugs, which will make the unit compatible with North American and European sockets. The plugs can be easily mounted to the charger via what I would call a slide-n-clip mechanism.

The exchangeable charging tips will ensure compatibility with a wide range of portable computers. These tips are color-coded, which will minimize the confusion while charging multiple systems with the FSP Twinkle 65 Universal Notebook Adapter. Out of the box, the charging tips are organized in the included plastic holder; no worries about misplacing or losing any this way. The right angle of these plugs will make cable routing easier than the straight plugs included with some of the OEM chargers.

Fitting a charging tip is very intuitive and straight forward. First and foremost, the power requirements for the portable computer that will be charged need to be checked against the specs of the FSP Twinkle 65 Universal Notebook Adapter. Next, a compatible charging tip needs to be selected and attached to the charging cable. Each charging tip has markings for the negative and positive connections, which match the markings on the charging cable to avoid reversing the polarity. The end result is a right angle charging cable ready for your system.

The FSP Twinkle 65 Universal Notebook Adapter is compact, well designed, and promises compatibility with a wide range of portable computers.